


Wilted Roses Smell of Coffee

by SilverDragon889



Category: Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Persona 5
Genre: Ann is a ADHD mess, Beast!Akira, Beauty and the Beast AU, Bell!Ryuji, I'll add more tags for characters and relationships as they show up, Multi, Phantom Thieves - Freeform, Ryuji helps his ma, Ryuji is a Good Boy, What is tagging properly, i may change things up as i go idk, is it tasty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-07-29 16:11:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16267721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDragon889/pseuds/SilverDragon889
Summary: {This is a Beauty and the Beast AU based off of user sickly-artist on tumblr's gorgeous artwork!}Ryuji is a farmboy working to help his mom after his dad left in the small, gossip-driven village of Yongen. Life is normal. He runs around doing all the chores his mom can't, ignoring all the gossip towards him. Until one day, his best friend Ann appears with tragic news and a quest to the woods....Ryuji is not prepared to find a demon-like creature in those woods, nor did he expect to fall in love with him. But yet he does, in this take on a tale as old as time.





	1. Quest to the Woods...?

Yongen was a small village, and in that village, gossip travels like wildfire. This time, the gossip is about a young man named Ryuji Sakamoto, as it had been for the past three weeks. “Did you hear? Ryuji was out by the fields again.” “Was he running to the market this time?” “No, he was out feeding the hens.” “That boy is so weird, he just runs and runs and never stops to socialize or go to school.” “If his dad wasn’t such a drunk and left he probably COULD go to school.”

Ryuji learned to just tune them out by this point. All he had to do was keep the farm in a stable enough condition for his mom and he didn’t have a problem. Well, he had ONE problem.

 

“RYU!”

 

“Gah!” He startled from his place where he was feeding the hens. The voice of his mom cutting into his mindless haze. He shakes his head to clear it of any fogginess before replying, “Whaddya want ma?”

 

“Another girl’s here!”

 

He sighed. Figures. Another girl he really didn’t want to meet trying to court him. Shouldn’t they have realized he wasn’t interested by now? He groaned as he stood up, his runners knee acting up a bit from sitting too long. “I’ll be there in a bit….” He grumbled as he strode towards the house, his gait betraying a slight limp all the while. He entered the small stead belatedly as he turned toward another girl he’d have to turn down, only to find his childhood friend Ann, and she was in a panic. Her face showed a desperate relief as she saw him, and he turned to his mother worriedly. “What’s going on here? Somethin’ wrong?”

His mother nods and turns to Ann as she nearly shouts, “Sojiro’s daughter went missing in the woods, you meathead! Haven’t you been paying any attention to the town gossip?!”

He shakes his head, slightly pissed. “Ya know I don’t Ann… But why are ya tellin’ me all this?”

She stomps her foot. “Because we’re gonna go find her! This is our chance to help out everyone, and I KNOW you know the woods like the back of your hand, don’t even try to lie Sakamoto, we’re gonna…”

 

She went on and on at about fifty miles an hour about how this would boost their chances of being recognized as something other than odd and maybe land them respectable jobs before Ryuji’s head started to hurt from her blabbering. “Alright! Alright! I’m goin’ with ya, cool your jets Ann. Jeez.” He looked at her dead in the eye, his face revealing his slight excitement at the prospect of saving someone in trouble. “Do I get to know when we’re leavin’?”

Ann jumped up as she grabbed Ryuji with one hand and darted out the door. “Now!”

...This was gonna be one long ass day, wasn’t it?


	2. Briars and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These trees shouldn't be here... nor should this giant ass castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update. A classmate and good friend of mine recently died in a hunting accident and I had to attend his funeral. So if this chapter is a little rushed and kinda short, that's why. Don't worry about me though, I'll keep trying to make a good story for you guys! (if writers block doesn't hit me in the brain again... -_-)

Ryuji did know the woods better than anyone in that village.

 

So when he saw the patch of briarwoods and gnarled oaks, he was kinda stunned. These had never been here before, so when the hell did they get here, and who the ‘eff planted them? He turned to Ann, who just shrugged at him. She had just about as much of a clue as he did, so asking her about it would be kinda pointless. “Well…” he mumbled to himself, “If she ain’t in here then I’ve got nothin’. Might as well take a look.” Ann nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but this place is pretty scary, don’t you think? Why would anyone go in here WILLINGLY?” Ryuji just tapped his foot on the ground and shrugged, his nonchalant manner showing. “Dunno. Maybe she’s just a bit weird?” Ann rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, but they pressed forward anyways. This area was dark and gloomy, the kind of place that made your hairs stand on end even if you were a skeptic. As the two teens trudged along the barely recognizable path, getting scratches and cuts from the many loose twigs, they heard a rustle in the fallen leaves. From somewhere, Ryuji swore he heard a wolf howl. Suddenly, Ann stopped, pointing at something in the distance. “Look! Over there! A castle! An actual CASTLE!”

 

She was right. A dark, gothic castle was right there, a few feet in front of them. It was HUGE, with black spires that pierced the sky and weathered statues that littered the well kept, but still neglected-looking courtyard. The wide and intricate ebony doors looked over the duo as they quietly approached, their jaws slack with awe. Ann turned to Ryuji, dumbfounded, and whispered, “How did no one know about this? This thing is amazing! Not to mention completely huge!” Ryuji nodded in quick succession, and quickly whispered back. “I know! ‘S amazin’ no one ever talked ‘bout this place.” He smirked “Otherwise ya’d be talking my ear off ‘bout it.” That earned him a lighthearted punch to the arm as Ann smiled at him. “I would not!” She exclaimed with the light smile still gracing her face. The two laughed at their antics, as they always did since the two were small kids.

 

But their banter was interrupted by the door swinging open with a bang, as a serious voice called out.  **“Who’s there?! Why have you come?!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! BTW, as the AU on Tumblr continues, I'll be referencing it in order to make this fic even better and fill in some plot holes my brain can't fill in on it's own lol. Leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed, and I'll see ya'll next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand done! I hope ya'll enjoyed this fic. But just as a warning, I have no idea on an upload schedule for this, so expect to wait until weekends or something for new chapters. (school is a bitch and I stick to that claim) Anywho, feedback is GREATLY appreciated, and any grammar or spelling issues will be fixed, just point 'em out.
> 
> Love all ya'll,  
> L8terz


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